'Middle-of-the-night
black, moonlight white and cold gray have never been so eerily
orchestrated as they are in Staake's superb drawings for his
chilling tale, 'The Orb of Chatham'. Your eyes will feast and
your skin will crawl."

He has authored and/or illustrated
over 39 books, including 'Hello Robots!' (Viking), 'My Little
Color Zoo' (Simon & Schuster) and 'The Red Lemon' (Random
House). Currently he is writing a pair of storybooks and illustrating
three other titles, including a modern version of the 19th Century
German classic, 'Der Struwwelpeter'.

'The Orb Of Chatham' marks
a new departure for Staake -- his first black and white picture
book that is also part graphic novel and part mystery.

"When I decided to take
on the story", says Staake, "I knew that it had to
be rendered in black and white. If I'm successful at evoking
a certain moodiness and dreamlike experience through the artwork
in the book, the monochromatic palette deserves as much of the
credit."

Ironically, Staake used no
traditional palette of paints when creating the eery 'Orb of
Chatham' illustrations. The art reproduced in the book is entirely
digital, Staake prefering to drag a computer mouse rather than
a paint brush to execute his images. "My books are generally
more 'mirthful'", says Staake, 'and filled with rich color
and playful patterns. But while others are mesmerized by the
stunning daylight commonly found in Chatham, I've always been
as intrigued by the dramatic shadows, reflections and shapes
produced by the moon and the stars at night. Chatham is an esquisitely
mysterious place and this is what I've tried to capture in the
book."

Staake resides and works in
Chatham, Massachusetts in a 200-year-old house that's 300 yards
from the Atlantic -- but is only inhabited by 100 ghosts. He
collects mid-century modern furniture, vintage Fiestaware and
original illustration artwork

Staake's voluminous, award-winning
web site can be found at, you guessed it, BobStaake.com

Related Links:

Bob Staake
Talks About The Creation of 'The Orb of Chatham'

How was
the book created? Why was it created? And what's the bigger story
behind the mystery? To find out, visit this
page.

Contact
Bob Staake:

To arrange
a book signing, literary event or speaking engagement with the
author/illustrator, please visit this page.

Excerpting
the Book Reprinting of Hi-Res Artwork:

To download
and publish examples of 'The Orb Of Chatham' artwork or a photo
of the author/illustrator to coincide with any media interviews
or reviews, please
click here.

Written and
illustrated by Bob
Staake,
'The Orb Of Chatham' is unlike any other of his more than
35 books.

A hauntingly
eery tale that meanders through this mysterious New England town,
'The Orb Of Chatham' fascinates and mesmerizes readers
both young and old. Take
a peek at the book

Untitled Document

The
Book Is Only
The Beginning
Of The Orb Of Chatham Story:

Of the five who reported
witnessing 'The Orb Of Chatham' in 1935, why would Margaret
Snow be the last to file her report with the authorities,
while her husband, Walter, was the first? Additional
Information on 'The Chatham Five' can be found inside the Orb.
Click
here to unlock the code and enter

Why are so many orb
shapes found in Chatham? The mysterious forms are commonly seen
decorating gardens, placed in northeast corners of barns, and
even used as book ends. Once people have read 'The Orb of
Chatham', they report noticing even more Orb shapes
within the quaint village. Additional photos of Orbs can be
found inside the Orb. Click here
to unlock the code and enter

What explains that
orbs are often found near ship wrecks, particularly those occuring
on nights with full moons? Unless you look closely at some of
these mysterious photographs, you may not even notice the orbs
that almost seem to hide from view. Additional shipwreck photos
can be found inside the Orb. Click here
to unlock the code and enter

Given the relative
shallowness of Chatham's waters, why did divers feel it necessary
in 1976 to use a titanium diving suit like this to search the
ocean floor of Stage Harbor when lobster traps were discovered
being mysteriously "crushed" by something? Additional
photos can be found inside the Orb. Click
here to unlock the code and enter

Why would this novelty
song about 'The Orb Of Chatham' have been recorded in
1936 -- but banned from being played on the town's only radio
station? Additional product photos can be found inside the
Orb. Click
here to unlock the code and enter

Is there a reason why
orb sightings in the Chatham skies increase during the winter
months -- even though the town's population drops considerably?
And why do so many townspeople insist that 'The Orb of Chatham'
events of 1935 never took place? Additional Sighting Photos
can be found inside the Orb. Click here
to unlock the code and enter

Untitled Document

The Orb Of Chatham
and
OrbOfChatham.com is Copyright 2005 by Bob
Staake
- All Rights Reserved. The book was originally published by Commonwealth Editions. The text, images and content on this
web site cannot be used without the expressed, written consent
of the author. For
licensing inquiries, please click here. Any similarity to charcacters living
or dead is strictly coincidental Flash animation and music sequence
by Ryan Staake -- Melonsoft.

, the reports were made upon daylight, though local
authorities dismissed them a hoax.

Still, the witnesses' independent accounts were virtually identical;
the orb appeared to be made of blackened metal, perhaps six feet
tall, and traveled in absolute silence by rolling (though one
witness reported spotting the orb "hovering" in the
air above a local church).

Two months later, all five witnesses vanished -- on the same
October evening -- never to be seen again.

Whether 'The Orb Of Chatham' is truth or fiction remains a
mystery to this day.